Conductor contact and method of making the same



June 10, 1969 D. R. VETERAN 3,449,709

CONDUCTOR CONTACT AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Filed Nov 10, 1966 INVENTOR DAVID R. VETERAN BY Q-Q Wk ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 339258 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The receptacle portion of a connector includes a conductive element having an internal bore, and a contactor element of sheet material which is first cut to form a plurality of finger sections and then rolled up and inserted into the bore. A notch in each of the finger sections eugages a flange at the end of the conductive element to retain the contactor element within the bore.

This invention relates to an improved connector contact for an electrical conductor and has as its principal object the provision of a multisurface contactor which retains substantially uniform mechanical and electrical characteristics at very high frequencies over many connect-disconnect mechanical operations.

In the drawing, FIGURE 1 is a cutaway perspective view of the connector of the present invention and FIG- URE 2 is a plan view of the resilient member which forms the contact fingers.

In FIGURE 1, the female connector portion 9 may include a center conductor element 13 disposed coaxially within an outer conductor 11. The center conductor 13 includes a central bore 15 in which the contactor element 17 is disposed. This element 17, as shown in FIGURE 2, is formed as a flat sheet of resilient conductive material such as beryllium copper in which a plurality of finger sections 19 are formed by the cuts 21 which are produced in the sheet 17 at less than a right angle 23 with respect to the base edge 25 and typically at an angle of about 60 to 80 degrees. The sheet 17 when rolled up end 27 to end 29 and inserted within the central bore 15, as shown in FIGURE 1, thus causes the finger sections 19 to twist inwardly to form resilient sections 19 disposed in edge overlapping relationships in a turbinelike pattern.

The mating male section of the connector may include a tapered center conductor 31 coaxially disposed within an outer conductor 32. Thus, as conductor 31 is inserted into the central bore 15 of element 13, the contact fingers 19 of element 17 are urged to untwist and conform to the shape of the cylindrical walls of the central bore 15 with the result that the inner-most edges of the finger sections 19 are independently urged into contact with the male portion 31 of the center conductor. Also, since the finger sections 19 are disposed within the space between the central bore :15 and the outer diameter of the mating conductor 31, the connector of the present invention provides excellent electrical connection despite great axial and radial misalignment of the conductors 31 and 13. Also, the contactor element may be readily replaced without the need as in conventional connectors of replacing the entire central element 13. The contactor element 17 may be retained within the central bore 15 by the radially inwardly extending flange 33 at the outer edge of the bore 15. Each finger section 19 may be notched out at the acute-angle corner 35 to catch in the inwardly extending flange 33 and thereby retain the contactor element 17 Within the bore 15.

3,449,709 Patented June 10, 1969 ICC I claim: 1. A conductor connector comprising in a receptacle portion thereof:

a conductive element having an internal bore therein 5 and a radially inwardly extending flange at the outermost end thereof;

a contactor element of sheet material rolled up within the internal bore and including a plurality of contacting finger sections having outermost ends which are twisted with respect to the walls of the internal bore to provide inwardly disposed longitudinal edges;

said contactor element having a base edge disposed innermost within said bore and having a plurality of cuts in the unrolled sheet configuration which are spaced along the edge of the sheet opposite from said base edge to form said finger sections, each of said cuts being at an angle with respect to said base edge that is less than a right angle and being shorter in length than the dimension along the axis of the cut between Said base and opposite edges; and

each of said finger sections having a notch in the acuteangle corner thereof for engagement with said inwardly extending flange to retain said contactor element within said internal bore.

2. A conductor connector as in claim 1 comprising:

an elongated conductor disposed to be inserted within said internal bore and having a tapered end for insertion into said rolled up contactor element.

3. A conductor connector as in claim 1 wherein:

said conductive element is the center conductor of a coaxial conductor connector and is coaxially surrounded by an outer conductor which is spaced away and insulated from said conductive element.

4. A conductor connector as in claim 2 wherein:

said conductive element and said elongated conductor are the center conductors of mating Sections of a coaxial conductor connector and are coaxially surrounded by mating outer conductors, each of which is spaced away and insulated from the corresponding one of said conductive element and elongated conductor.

5. The method of making a conductor contactor for an elongated receptacle having an internal bore comprising the steps of:

making a plurality of cuts in a conductive sheet spaced along the length thereof with each out being disposed at an angle less than a right angle with respect to a longitudinal edge of the sheet and having a length along the out which is less than the dimension of the sheet; notching said conductive sheet in each acute angle corner formed by said cuts;

rolling up the conductive sheet along the length thereof to cause the portions of said sheet between said plurality of cuts to twist inwardly and thereby form resilient finger sections disposed in edge overlapping relationship with one another; and

constraining the sheet in the rolled up shape within the bore of the receptacle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS 1/1937 France. 4/1961 France.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner. JOSEPH H. MCGLYNN, Assistant Examiner. 

